You're struggling to gain the trust of sales reps. How can you make them prioritize your product over others?

In this situation, it is critical that you make a visible effort to actively understand and appreciate the needs of your sales reps. Most importantly, why there is a struggle to gain their trust in the first place. Focus on providing clear value with your product, and show how it can help them achieve their sales quotas. Ideally, you can also give them good materials and talking points to help them win deals. If you need to adapt something (or produce something new) to get the sales reps onboard, then it's probably a good idea to do it. In any case, the first step is always: listen.

What's in it for me ? This is what all cross-functional team members are looking for, especially Sales persons. We need to understand what motivates them and propose accordingly. First motivation is earnings - if we want Sales to contribute their time and efforts in promoting our products, provide them with monetary incentives. Second motivation is their ambition & career progression. We need to have a value proposition for them which convinces them that selling our products will make them more visible to their managers & senior executives. Third would be convincing them how their contributions enable the attainment of the Corporate's vision and goals.

Show the sales representatives that the new product will be easy to sell by highlighting its clear benefits and unique features for customers. Provide sales enablement materials such as guides, explainer videos, and ready-to-use sales pitches to make their job easier. Also, demonstrate the ongoing support they will receive and how selling this product can lead to strong results, both in terms of commission and customer satisfaction. This will motivate them to prioritize it.

To gain the trust of sales reps and make them prioritize our product, I focus on building strong relationships through clear, open communication and consistent support. I provide them with comprehensive training, compelling product materials, and competitive insights to equip them with the knowledge and confidence needed to sell effectively. By demonstrating how our product addresses key pain points and offers unique advantages, and by actively listening to their feedback to address any concerns, I create a collaborative environment that aligns their success with our product’s performance.

Gain with no pain: Incentive plans for sales team and market. Capacity enhancing activity for the team. Timely execution of the generated business. Lead generating strategy implementation.

In my mind, the key is to show sales reps "what's in it for them." By aligning your product's success with their personal and professional goals, you can create a win-win situation that encourages them to prioritize your product. It's crucial to maintain open lines of communication, be responsive to the sales team's needs, and continuously refine your approach based on feedback and results.

Ultimately, you need to give your sales team the right tools, information, and materials to help them succeed. If they've never had a product briefing, where you sit down with them to go over the main selling points - it may be a good idea to start doing this. Not only can you address their issues and concerns at this earlier juncture, but you can also provide training and insights to make the product "easier to sell" in their eyes.

I'd say equipping sales reps goes beyond just providing materials. Create a "war room" simulation where reps can practice pitches in virtual reality scenarios. Empower your sales reps with dynamic, data-driven tools that evolve with each customer interaction. Train them on data. The key is to make your product not just a priority, but an extension of the rep's own expertise.

As a marketer, I often wonder that traditional monetary incentives are just scratching the surface. True motivation comes from aligning your product with the sales rep's personal brand and career trajectory. I'd suggest creating a "Product Champion" program where top performers become thought leaders, speaking at industry events or contributing to prestigious publications. Consider implementing a "Rep-to-Product Manager" pipeline, where exceptional sales performance can lead to product development roles.

Incorporating AI-driven sentiment analysis with tools like MonkeyLearn transformed how we harness sales rep feedback. This allowed us to detect underlying feelings in feedback, optimizing our approach dynamically. Hosting virtual town halls via Zoom facilitated real-time brainstorming sessions, infusing energy and fresh perspectives directly from sales experiences. These strategies rejuvenate marketing efforts and validate sales reps' roles as essential strategists, not just revenue generators.